


That Which You Can Do is Enough

by ProPinkist



Category: Tales of Graces
Genre: Family, Friendship, Gen, Hurt/Comfort, I just adore it, Malik needs more appreciation in fics dangit, as well as Malik and Asbel's father/son relationship ugh, spoilers for late-game pretty much
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-01-07
Updated: 2017-01-07
Packaged: 2018-09-15 13:33:23
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,502
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/9237284
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ProPinkist/pseuds/ProPinkist
Summary: After Sophie is hurt by Richard, Asbel finally begins to struggle to keep a positive outlook on the current situation and circumstances. Malik lends a shoulder to lean on and some words of comfort.





	

**Author's Note:**

> In a Graces mood lately after that last fic I wrote, and because I'm currently replaying the game for the first time in many years. I love love /love/ Malik; he seriously needs more appreciation ugh, and I love his relationship with Asbel. After the events of Fendel and World's Eye, both of them would be a little worse for wear I'd think (I really wish Malik's feelings on Kurt's death were more focused on afterwards ugh), so I wanted to do some sort of hurt/comfort thing with them. <3

“Hey; would you like someone else to take over?”

Asbel glanced up sharply at the sound of a voice next to him that was too close to be talking to anyone else, shaken out of his numb stupor. It was Malik, who was walking beside him and watching him with just the slightest amount of veiled concern, and it took Asbel a moment to realize that he had pulled back from the rest of the group, letting the others handle the fighting without him for a change.

“U-Uh sure, if you really want to,” he finally replied, trying to hide his tiredness that he was certain the other man already knew about if he had spoken to him in the first place.

“It’s no trouble at all.”

Without another word, Asbel slowly moved so that the older man could take the girl he was carrying from him, Malik opting to hold Sophie in a cradle position instead of on his back, to Asbel’s surprise. She was asleep, but even still, Sophie seemed to lean into Malik’s chest ever-so-slightly once he had gotten her settled, and the sight made Asbel’s heart stir in a way he couldn’t exactly describe.

They were inside the ruins at the far end of the Untrodden Snowfield, making their way blindly through the, as far as they knew, uncharted territory in search of the other cannon that needed fixing in order for them to make it to Fodra. In reality, the start of Sophie’s current terrible condition hadn’t been more than a day ago, but Asbel felt like it had been years, and with every passing moment it seemed as if she somehow got even worse than she already was. Just outside in the blizzardy climate, she had collapsed and finally been unable to walk anymore, her head feeling as if she was running a fever. He hated bringing her with them and seeing the effect so much relentless travel had on her, but if anything, Sophie was stubborn, and she insisted that she come along. She had said she felt better and safer by their sides and not all alone, and deep down, Asbel didn’t like the idea of her suffering in solitude either, and knew that he would just worry more not having her where he could monitor her health… but still…

“She’s fully asleep now, at least,” Malik murmured quietly as if reading his thoughts, glancing down at the face of the girl in his arms with a sad and fond smile. He didn’t look unlike a father of sorts in that moment, holding their youngest (or so he had always assumed… but that wasn’t important) and most innocent group member protectively as he was, and as irrational as he knew it was, it only made Asbel feel more guilty.

“…That’s something, I guess… hopefully she can get some rest.” He moved near Malik again instinctively, reaching his hand out weakly and brushing it over Sophie’s hair, grimacing as he noted how her face was still rather flushed, and how every once in a while she seemed to struggle for breath, her expression troubled. It killed him to see, and Asbel bit his lip hard, the hand that remained at his side clenching into a fist as his other hand remained hovering over Sophie’s face in helplessness.

“Asbel.”

He jerked his head up at the firm tone, looking into Malik’s eyes wildly. He knew what his own expression probably looked like, and the older man’s concerned but serious gaze only confirmed it.

“…We will save her, I promise you,” he eventually said gently, his face softening ever so slightly. “I’m worried too, but we’ll make it. …I won’t let her die.”

“You seem so sure,” Asbel said quietly, his voice weak. “I’m… I’m not gonna let anything happen to her either,” – using the d word was something he couldn’t manage to do – “but… b-but I’ve long since realized that just _saying_ that, just _wanting_ it, won’t make it a reality… it’s all just wishful thinking, and sometimes you’re in over your head about how much you think you can accomplish… sometimes it just… goes wrong no matter how much you try to keep it from going wrong…”

He realized with displeasure that his eyes were stinging, and he rubbed them forcefully, breathing shakily as he tried to regain his composure. This wasn’t the time nor the place for a meltdown, Asbel knew, and he didn’t like appearing so pathetic in front of his Captain as well. But before he knew it his mind had run away with his thoughts, and he had spoken them before he could think to stop himself.

“…Sorry,” he managed after a moment, looking down in embarrassment and concentrating on walking around the latest impediment in the twisty ruins path. “That’s not like me.”

Malik made a small hum of understanding, turning his head slightly to look at him when they had to stop for the others to fight a battle, frowning. “Your ideals are noble ones, and your never-ending kindness towards others is truly something to be admired and respected” – at this, Asbel blushed the slightest amount – “…but you are only human. As frustrating as it is, we can’t always keep bad things from happening… sometimes fate just has it out for you. And that’s no fault of your own. …The only thing to do in a situation like this is hope for the best, keep on pressing forwards as best you can and doing everything you _can_ do, and hopefully the outcome is the one you want.”

The Captain glanced down at Sophie in his arms, checking on her and making sure she looked comfortable enough. “She’s strong, very much so,” he said softly, rubbing his thumb over her head absentmindedly. “…I think she’ll make it, for yours and Cheria and Hubert’s sake.”

“Don’t leave yourself out of that list, Captain,” Asbel replied, smiling sadly at the other man as they proceeded onwards. “You’re important to us, to her, too.”

“You flatter me so, Asbel,” Malik teased, but his smile was grateful.

Asbel returned the look, running his hand through his hair wearily as he continued to watch Sophie worriedly. She looked fine enough for now, but he hated the fact that they had to be taking this trip at all; wished that they could simply get her help right now, without all of this time-consuming rigmarole that just wore her out more and more.

If he wasn’t strong enough to keep this from happening to her in the first place, couldn’t he at least do _something_ to ease her suffering? _Anything?_ Didn’t he owe her that much for everything she had done for them?

He gazed down at the floor, lost in thought again and shivering a little in the cold air of the ruins. “…You’re right, of course. I know you are, I just… I don’t understand how everything could go so wrong in so short a time, just like it did seven years ago. First… my father died… then I came back to Lhant, only for Hubert to kick me out… Sophie and I were on our own until we met up with Richard again, and everything went bad for him in Barona. But I thought that helping him reclaim his kingdom would finally cause things to turn around… but instead they just got so much worse, _so_ much worse. Everything with the valkines, everything with Fendel, and now _this_ with Sophie… and now we’re trekking back and forth all over everywhere trying to make it so that we can travel to another _planet_ to help save her because nothing else will work… and there are monsters wreaking havoc everywhere, and Sophie is d-dying, and Hubert and I aren’t as close as we used to be, and you lost someone very important to you, and Richard is crazy or sick or _something,_ and the entire _world_ is about to die and I j-just…”

Asbel sighed heavily, closing his eyes as he felt the tears once again try to come forth. “I just… feel so helpless… and it makes me realize that maybe if I had spent the last seven years in Lhant, instead of going off and training to be a knight… then maybe some of this could have been prevented. …At least, my father might still be alive, Cheria wouldn’t have been so lonely, Hubert might not have stayed in Srahta or at least not have felt as isolated there if I actually took time to visit him… and Richard, too; if only I had gone to see him… he did give me the ring for that purpose after all… I never even made sure he was okay after that night.

“It just feels like… all of the strength I was searching for by becoming a knight wasn’t the kind that really did much good, in the end.”

He sniffed a little, catching Malik’s gaze again and managing a weak smile. “…Though, if I had stayed in Lhant, I never would have met you; never would have learned all of the important things you’ve taught me. So that would have been a shame.”

“Asbel”

They turned a corner into yet another of the many rooms, Pascal fiddling with one of the devices to open the next door. Asbel turned his head back towards Malik again hesitantly, slightly embarrassed and his eyes still teary, and the older man moved Sophie so that she was positioned upright on one of his arms, her own arms wrapping around his neck almost instinctively (inwardly, Asbel couldn’t help but be amused at how adorable it was, and also amazed at how strong Malik was to be able to hold her with only one arm). With his other arm now free, the Captain moved closer to him, putting his hand on his shoulder as they walked.

“I can’t say whether the choice you made was right or wrong; it’s not my place to say, as it was your own decision, after all. …But, putting that aside… I’d say everything you’ve done in the past week, what you’re still doing right now, is more than enough to make you a worthy lord, and a knight. …Your father would be proud of you, Asbel. I know I am.”

The lump in his throat became overwhelming, and the next thing Asbel knew he was crying, no sound escaping him but tears flowing from his eyes nonetheless. He bowed his head, placing his hand over his face and hiccupping softly as he unconsciously leaned into Malik. The other man moved his hand to his other shoulder and squeezed gently, comforting him. He had a feeling the others were most likely noticing by this point, but no one else appeared at his side, perhaps not wanting to intrude on his privacy. The thought made Asbel feel grateful… it felt good to let out all of his stress and sorrow he had held inside him for what felt like years now, even though it was only a week. Things had gotten so chaotic at some point that there hadn’t been much time to really dwell on what had happened, at least not extensively, and he had been running on mostly adrenaline all this time, forcing himself to think that everything would all work out fine in the end just to keep himself from breaking down.

“…I miss him,” Asbel whispered, squeezing his closed eyes tighter and wrapping his arms around his body, feeling pathetically childish. “He may not have been perfect, but he tried so hard for us back then… and I was too young and full of myself to recognize it. …We never had the chance to try to understand each other better, to become closer… I-I wish I could have seen him again; wish I hadn’t left it like I did seven years ago… he would handle this situation much more determinedly and confidently than I can.”

Next to him, Sophie moaned slightly in her sleep, and Asbel winced, putting his hand over his mouth again to choke back another sob.

“I-I just don’t know how any of this will end! Sophie… I can’t let S-Sophie die; not after we just found her again! And… a-and Richard… I don’t know how to save him! It hurts to see him like this, to see him s-suffering so much, to see him do these terrible things that I _know_ the old Richard would never, ever, ever do… a-and I don’t want to kill him but he’ll end up killing himself, along with all of us, if we can’t stop him!! We have all of these fragments of information, but it’s so little… I just d-don’t understand… everything is falling apart around me and I feel so powerless, so _weak…_ ”

“…Asbel…”

He jerked his head up upon hearing his name called from someone who definitely wasn’t Malik. He stared into Sophie’s now-open eyes, her expression tired but her small smile definitely apparent.

“It’ll… be okay, Asbel,” she murmured weakly from where she sat on Malik’s arm, reaching her hand out towards him, which Asbel grasped without hesitation. “I know it’s hard… for you to believe me… but I’ll be okay. …Richard will be okay, t-too… cause… we’re all friends.”

_She thinks so simply, so obviously,_ Asbel thought, chuckling a little and giving Sophie a watery smile as he squeezed her little hand tightly and pressed it to his forehead. _I need to keep thinking like that._

“R-Right… of course. …I know you’re right. We _are_ friends; I’ve never doubted that. …And as long as we’re friends, I will protect both of you.”

He heard Sophie make a small, pleased noise, and when he looked up again, she had rested her head back against Malik’s shoulder, her eyes closed again and her smile peaceful. Feeling somewhat relieved, Asbel moved her hand back to the other man’s shoulder, and stepped back again, saying nothing.

“Feeling a little better?” Malik asked gently, still lightly holding his arm around him. Asbel nodded slowly, trying to steady his breathing and wiping his face with his sleeve again, knowing he must look like a wreck.

“Y-Yeah… I think so...” Looking up to see what the status of the group was, he saw Cheria glancing back at him slightly worriedly, and Hubert appeared to be doing the same thing, albeit to a lesser degree. He said nothing, simply giving them a reassuring smile, and that seemed to satisfy them well enough, Cheria’s gaze lingering for a few seconds longer before she turned back and continued walking. He felt a warmth in his chest, and Asbel decided that at some point he would talk to the both of them, and thank them for all of their help up until now.

Belatedly, something else occurred to him, and he turned back to Malik, frowning as he felt guilt creeping in. “…Please forgive me for my outburst, Captain… I know I’m not the only one who has it rough right now.”

“There’s no need for apologies, Asbel,” Malik said calmly, knowing exactly what he was referring to. “…It had been a long, long time since I had seen him again… and I’m sad that it had to end that way, but I must respect the choice he made that led him to his death, the choice he made to right his wrong… to take responsibility. …And so it is my responsibility to do what I can to continue his efforts in his place, take up the fight he spent twenty years fighting on his own, without me, nor her, there to help him.”

Malik’s voice sounded pained, even as much as he was clearly trying to make it not so, and Asbel’s heart ached. He didn’t miss the Captain’s mention of “her”, who he assumed was the unknown woman in the photograph in Kurt’s office back there along with himself and Malik.

“…Selfish though it may be of me, however, I am rather grateful for this journey… it’s kept me distracted, which is not unlike how you feel, I’m sure,” Malik continued softly, watching Sophie again vaguely, having had moved her back into a cradle hold. “Once this is all over, and I can think freely again… well, I can’t really say for sure, but perhaps it will finally sink in then.”

“My condolences for your loss, Captain.” Asbel bit his lip, hesitating for a moment before continuing quietly. “If… If you decide to hold a funeral, all of us will come. …It’s only right.”

“…Thanks, Asbel. That truly means a lot.”

Asbel looked down at his feet, memories of Kurt inevitably leading his mind to images of Velanik, of the cold and sad atmosphere, of the rundown shacks, and of the poverty-stricken people with hunger in their eyes and some of them ravaged with sickness, and he inhaled sharply, squeezing his fists at his sides and preparing to speak.

“Captain… after we finish dealing with all of this, and things go back to n-normal… please let me help you in your mission to restore Fendel’s livelihood.”

Malik turned back towards him, his face questioning and prompting him to continue.

“When we were in Velanik, and also somewhat in Zavhert, I could understand your frustration and your desire to make things better there… all this time, I had no idea the people in Fendel were so bad off, what with how they were Windor’s enemy… But when I finally saw the country for myself, I realized how little I really knew… and it horrified me to see.”

Asbel thought about those two children, one of which had been sick, they had given the strahtem horns to for the cryas inside them. He had felt so helpless giving them to them, knowing it wasn’t nearly enough, wishing he could provide so much more, but the kids had been overjoyed, and somehow that made it even worse. They were used to having so little, so much so that even the simplest things they treated like priceless treasures, things that Asbel and everyone else in Windor had taken for granted their entire lives. It was the same with all of the inn requests, too; everything that was asked for was so, so simple… far too simple.

It wasn’t right, and it broke his heart to think about.

“I may feel in over my head with… all of this stuff we’re doing now,” Asbel murmured, his voice pained. “…But helping Fendel is something I feel like I have the power to do, both as a lord and as a person… and I really want to do it.”

He looked up at Malik again, his expression determined.

“I want to help Fendel, both out of my own personal desire to help its people, and because it’s your home country… I respect yours and Kurt’s mission, because I respect you, Captain. And I want to do everything I can to make your dream a reality. …So once you get started, just know that I and everybody else will be willing to help you however we can.”

Out of habit, Asbel stopped walking and bowed slightly, something he couldn’t keep himself from doing every time he spoke seriously to the Captain. He heard the other man make a small sound of acknowledgement, and glanced up again to see Malik giving him a small smile, his eyes shining.

“You’re really something, Asbel. ...I don’t know what the status between Windor and Fendel will be after this crisis with the world is taken care of, but if things are settled enough, I would truly appreciate your support… as would Kurt, I know. Thank you.”

Asbel grinned, feeling happier than he had when they first entered the ruins, and Malik reached out and pat him on the back reassuringly, with neither of them having any more to say. Which was perfect timing, as Pascal was calling out to them loudly that they had finally reached the cannon room. It didn’t take them long for them to notice that a monster of larger size than normal awaited them, however, and after helping Malik lower Sophie to the floor where she could rest while they fought, Asbel rubbed her head gently, delicately pressing a kiss to her forehead gently.

“Help is closer by the minute, Sophie. Just hang on; we’ll be right back with you in a moment.”

The little girl smiled a barely noticeable smile in her sleep, and Asbel straightened up, slapping his cheeks with his hands and taking a deep breath.

“Thanks, Captain,” he whispered to the other man gratefully as they made their way towards the others, knowing he didn’t need to say any more than that.

“Anytime, Asbel… Anytime.”

Asbel nodded in response, feeling like a weight was lifted off his chest, and he forged ahead as he prepared to organize the strategy for the upcoming battle as the leader of the group.

“Alright guys, we’re almost there! Let’s finish this quickly and help Sophie!”


End file.
